LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSWednesday, Dec. 28 (NBA TV)
Why it’s on the list
The Clippers and Pelicans actually meet in the Crescent City prior to this game a few weeks earlier, but the Dec. 28 matchup gets the nod for two reasons: It takes place in the heart of the holiday season, and will be televised nationally by NBA TV. Home games between Christmas and New Year’s are particularly popular attendance-wise at the Smoothie King Center, not that this contest needed much additional interest. Behind the star power of former New Orleans franchise point guard Chris Paul and the high-flying tandem of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers are one of the NBA’s biggest road attractions, consistently selling out in their trips to the Big Easy. Although they no longer want to be known as “Lob City,” Los Angeles has ascended into the upper echelon of the Western Conference in recent years, now a consensus choice as the third-best team, behind Golden State and San Antonio. The Clips have been extremely successful against the Pelicans in the Staples Center, going 6-0 since the latter’s nickname change occurred in 2013-14. However, some of New Orleans’ premier home victories of late have been against L.A., including a short-handed 109-105 triumph in March of last season.
What’s new in Los Angeles
Continuity has been an advantage for the Clippers in recent years, beginning with a starting lineup that has remained largely unchanged. Los Angeles didn’t make many big splashes in the summer, instead electing to keep its core together and re-sign rotation players such as Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson. The most notable additions based on name recognition were Marreese Speights (who comes from heated rival Golden State), Raymond Felton (Dallas), Brandon Bass (Lakers), Alan Anderson (Washington) and first-round pick Brice Johnson (NCAA runner-up North Carolina). Speaking of continuity, despite being hired in 2013, Doc Rivers is already tied for the NBA’s sixth-longest tenure among head coaches.
Other 2016-17 games between these two teams
Friday, Dec. 2, Los Angeles at New OrleansSaturday, Dec. 10, New Orleans at Los Angeles
